


Don't forget

by Sascha (greenet)



Category: Dark Is Rising Sequence - Cooper
Genre: Christmas, Gen, Holiday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-21
Updated: 2009-12-21
Packaged: 2017-10-04 20:21:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenet/pseuds/Sascha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>it's the season of grace coming out of the void.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't forget

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kirst Ravensoul](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Kirst+Ravensoul).



> Both title and summary come from The Atheist Christmas Carol by Vienna Teng

It was snowing when he left the Tesco.

Only light flurries so far. The ground was barely covered by a thin layer of snow that was stubbornly holding on. Will noted it absently with more annoyance than childish joy. He'd have to make sure his windshield was covered overnight. It always made him feel vaguely guilty to use the Old Powers to clear car windows. His part time job might be soul destroyingly dull, but it also provided him with money for his studies.

He ducked his head against the snow, held on tighter to his shopping net, and walked on home, alone.

* * *

The sound of the door bell caught him in the middle of reading an article about a new dig, and made him jump. He was not expecting anybody.

"Bran? What are you doing here?" Will said, baffled.

Bran grinned. "It wasn't my idea," he said as he squeezed his way past, Will stepping aside to let him in.

"Drews?"

"Merry Christmas!" Simon said.

"Happy new year," Barney added.

Simon rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. "Jane's train was delayed so she'll be a little late, but she's coming too, never fear."

Will closed the door behind the invasion of his sanctuary. "Was I expecting you?" He was honestly confused. He didn't think he'd invited them to come for the holidays, but they certainly seemed very certain they were welcome.

"Ah. Well." Simon looked a little sheepish.

"Jane can be very convincing," Bran said. He'd left his gloves on the table and was poking through Will's bookcases.

"I don't doubt it, but—"

"You've been so busy lately, not even showing up for a single summer vacation," Barney sounded faintly accusing, and Will flushed. "And Jane said something about Mohammed and a mountain, and decided we should come see you and make sure you hadn't completely wasted away here in the middle of nowhere."

"_Caerdydd_ is hardly in the middle of nowhere," Bran protested, raising his pale eyebrows.

Barney huffed.

Will stared at them all. On the one hand, he was secretly delighted to see them; on the other… "Where are you all going to sleep? Where is _Jane_ going to sleep?"

Barney and Simon looked baffled. Bran turned back to the bookcase, apparently studying the decorative stones, but his shoulders were shaking in laughter.

"Where ever there is room, of course," Simon said blankly.

Will could readily imagine what his own sisters would have thought of that arrangement. Mary in particular would have had firm opinions on that. She'd also immediately occupy his bathroom, and Will couldn't really see Jane doing that, so perhaps Simon had a point. "Of course," he echoed. "Where ever there is room."

* * *

"How big is your family?" Bran asked him, amazed. He'd found Will's wall of family photos. "I did meet some of them when they visited your aunt and uncle, true, but not this many, I don't think."

Will laughed. "It's big. I have five brothers and three sisters and you don't even want to know how many nieces and nephews." Saying it made him feel lonelier. His siblings had families of their own; it had been years since they had a big family Christmas with everyone present. Stephen was still in Jamaica, having married a Kingston girl, Barbara was in Australia, Max in the States, and everybody else were all over the place. His other family - the Old Ones - weren't here at all anymore.

Bran was watching him thoughtfully. "My da is celebrating Christmas with John Rowland," he said. "And I'm here." He grinned. "And the Drews, too."

Will had to grin back. "Yes, you are."

* * *

Bran had thrown him out of the kitchen.  

"Out," Bran said, herding him towards the door. "Out, out of my kitchen."

"Your kitchen?"

Bran was unmoved. Will sighed and trudged outside, just in time to see Simon rounding the corner of the house. For some reason, he was running at what was probably close to his full speed.

Two seconds later Barney hit him in the face with a snowball, and burst out laughing at the startled face Will gave him.

Will was tempted to give the snow on the roof a little nudge so it crashed down on Barney. It would only take a very small nudge. A lot less than, say, nudging snow all the way off his car windows in the morning. Barney ran off before he could make up his mind, however, and before he knew it he was chasing after the Drews, yelling and laughing as much as they were.

"Got you!" Will crowed happily. He threw another snowball and hit Simon as well. "And you!"

Barney and Simon looked at each other, turned back to Will and began pelting him with snowballs until they were all laughing too hard to stand.

"I think I just de-aged a decade," Will said after a moment.

Barney beamed.

* * *

"Food!" Simon said happily. They'd all stomped into the kitchen, shaking themselves like dogs.

Bran lifted an eyebrow. "I made it. You guys can set the table." He blinked. "The hell have you been doing?"

"Snowball fight! You should've joined us," Barney said.

"No, he shouldn't have," Simon objected. He was sniffing the air with evident pleasure. "This smells delicious."

Barney nudged him. "Don't think with just your stomach. Everyone should have the chance to have mad snowball fights at Christmas."

"I'll join you children later," Bran said, grinning.

Barney just grinned back.

"No, it sounds like fun. Right now I'm starving though, so get with the plates and things."

Will was already grabbing glasses, and directed Simon to the right cabinet for plates on his way to the table.

* * *

"You keep staring."

Bran looked surprised. He ducked his head, then glanced up again, seeming even more owl-eyed than normal. "I'm remembering what you look like."

They had left Simon and Barney in the living room, fighting over who got the couch. Last Will had heard, Barney had been arguing that since he was a frail artist, he needed the comfort of the couch more.

Some of Will's pillows and blankets had been absconded to the living room, but he'd managed to hold on to his duvet and enough pillows that he and Bran were snug and comfortable. They had ended up snuggling together for maximum warmth, though.

"It hasn't been _that_ long," Will protested.

Bran's toe nudged his ankle. "Long enough."

 

* * *

There was a tree in his living room.

In fact, there almost wasn't room for anything but the tree. Especially once they had decorated it. It seemed to take over the entire place. Will was impressed.

There were also presents under the tree. The Drews and Bran had brought presents with them, but Will had had to sneak out to buy some of his own, since he hadn't expected company this Christmas. The gifts to his family had been sent long ago. He was pleased with his buys, hurried though they had been. Now they were all seated comfortably with cocoa and sweets, watching the tree with the satisfaction of a job well done.

The door bell rang.

"Jane! You made it!"


End file.
